This invention relates generally to the art of packaging and more particularly to a new puncture resistant package for meat articles having sections of protruding bone therein.
The use of heat shrinkable plastic as a flexible packaging material for various food stuffs including meats has become common place in today's distribution system. Such plastic materials, however, have not been as effective as is desirable for preventing puncture by meat articles having protruding bone sections. The use of cushioning materials such as paper, paper laminates, cloth and various types of plastic have proved partially successful in solving this problem.
A particularly successful technique of preventing bone puncture in such plastic containers has involved the use of a cloth impregnated with a wax such that prior to packaging the wax impregnated cloth is selectively placed on the protruding bone sections prior to packaging. Such technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,891,870 to Selby et al commonly assigned herewith. The purpose of the wax is to facilitate the handling of the cloth during the placement thereof on the meat article prior to packaging. The wax additionally helps to maintain the cloth in the proper position during the actual insertion of the meat product into a container. While this was impregnated cloth is quite satisfactory for the function for which it is designed, the use of such a cloth requires the use of additional personnel on a meat loading line. It would be highly desirable to modify the meat packaging processes such that the need for personnel on a meat loading line for the purpose of placing wax impregnated cloth on protruding bone sections would be eliminated.
An additional shortcoming of wax impregnated cloth used in meat packaging environment is the cost of the wax involved. Wax being a petroleum derivative has increased dramatically in price in recent years. However, using the conventional process such wax is required in order to make the cloth easily handable and to provide a certain amount of required adhesion between the cloth and the meat product during the packaging process.